Flora

The Socotra Archipelago, located at the crossroads of Africa and Arabia, is home to magnificent and truly unique biodiversity. At least 310 of the islands’ roughly 835 plant species are endemic, meaning they exist nowhere else on the planet. Since antiquity, the islands have been known for the commerce of three significant plant resins: aloe, dragon’s blood, and frankincense. Socotra has been recognized as a WWF global 200 Ecoregion, a plant life international Center of plant Diversity, and is part of the Horn of Africa Biodiversity Hotspot zone by the United Nations Development Program. All of this was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site and UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve designations. Dracaena cinnabari, the Dragoon’s blood tree, and the unusual desert rose as depicted opposite are among the most appealing to many tourists, but the Socotra archipelago also has some stunning gorgeous smaller flora, including succulents like Caralluma socotrana and five indigenous species of aloes. We would like to call your attention to the fact that if you are interested in Botanics, please let us know so that we may arrange for an English-speaking guide who is knowledgeable about plants and where to find them. The utilization of the Dragoon Blood Tree: the resin is the island’s most important export, and it’s a part of the region’s spice trade. It was used as a varnish, dye, incense, and body oil, among other things. Dragon’s blood was also used as a coagulant, a fever reducer, and a treatment for ulcers, diarrhea, dysentery, and skin conditions, among other things. It is still utilized for therapeutic purposes and as a decorative element in Socotri handicrafts. Ethnoflora of the Socotra Archipelago, by Anthony Miller and Miranda Morris, is a good resource for extensive botanic knowledge (2004).